Supermodel Alek Wek at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin

Topmodel Alek Wek on the runway during Anja Gockel's show at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Berlin, Germany on 21/01/2010.

Alek Wek was discovered at an outdoor market in London in 1995 in Crystal Palace, south London by a Models 1 scout. She first received attention when she appeared in the music video for "GoldenEye" by Tina Turner, in 1995 and from there entered the world of fashion as one of its top models. She was signed to Ford Models in 1996 and was also seen in the "Got 'Til It's Gone" music video by Janet Jackson that year. She was named "Model of the Year" in 1997 by MTV.

She was born the seventh of nine children in Wau in Southern Sudan in 1977. Her exact birth date is unknown. When she was preparing to emigrate from Sudan, her mother picked the date April 16, which is in the rainy season during which she was born. She says her name means "Black Spotted Cow".